You order a repeat you have had for months and get a message asking you to book an appointment instead. Your planned review may be due, or your circumstances may have changed. What needs checking depends on the medicine and on you.
What a medication review covers
NICE describes a medication review as a structured, critical examination of your medicines, aimed at reaching an agreement with you about your treatment, getting more out of what you take and reducing problems with it.
What is taken into account:
- your own view of your medicines, and anything worrying you about them;
- everything you are taking, including anything bought over the counter and any supplements, and what each one is for;
- how safe and effective each is for you, and whether its use matches national guidance;
- side effects and the risk of them;
- any monitoring needed.
Why a repeat request turns into an appointment
GMC guidance says a prescriber must be satisfied that any repeat they sign is safe and appropriate, and should agree a review date with you when a medicine goes on repeat.
It also sets out where review matters particularly: where a patient may be at more risk, for example someone frail or living with several conditions; where a medicine has potentially serious or common side effects; where it is a controlled medicine or one commonly misused; or where the BNF or other authoritative guidance recommends blood tests or other monitoring at regular intervals.
A request arriving earlier or later than expected can also prompt a question, because timing out of step with the prescription may indicate a medicine being taken differently from the way it was prescribed. Tell the prescriber why you need it earlier, or why your previous supply has lasted longer.
You will see it stated that every repeat medicine must be reviewed once a year. Organisations do set intervals like that, but NICE’s recommendation is narrower: consider a structured review for some groups of people (those taking several medicines, those with long-term conditions, older people) where there is a clear purpose for it. Ask when your own review is due, and what would bring it forward.
What to bring, and what you will be asked
Bring the boxes if you can, or photograph the labels, including anything you buy over the counter and any supplements.
Expect three questions: whether you are taking the medicine as directed, whether it is still needed, and whether it is still working and still tolerated. They carry extra weight after a hospital stay, when medicines are often started, stopped or changed. If you have been taking something differently from the label, or have stopped it, say so: the answer shapes what gets prescribed next.
Do not change or stop a prescribed medicine without discussing it with your prescriber or a pharmacist first.
Repeat prescriptions at Basuto
Where a Basuto doctor has prescribed a medicine and agreed it can be repeated, you can request it without booking. Each request is reviewed by one of our doctors before it is issued, and your doctor may ask to see you first, if your blood pressure needs checking, for instance, or blood tests are due. A medicine started elsewhere, whether privately, abroad or on the NHS, needs an assessment before it can be continued here.
Current charges are set out on our private prescriptions and repeat requests page. To arrange a review, book an appointment or call reception on 020 7736 7557.
If you are running low
NHS guidance is to allow five working days when you request a repeat. That is NHS advice on planning ahead, not a turnaround time any particular practice promises, so contact your prescriber promptly rather than waiting until the last dose.
If you have run out completely and need medicine urgently, NHS guidance points to the 111 online emergency prescription service or to a pharmacy, who can assess the options with you. An emergency supply is sometimes possible, but it cannot be guaranteed.
